The Black Keys
True Delta Blues Roots
'Rolling Stones, watch your backs. There's a new band in town and much respect is due.
Their sound has been described as Muddy Waters meets Howlin' Wolf meets Jimmy Hendrix. They've been labeled as white garage punks playing Delta blues that are as true to their roots as the best music Fat Possum could put out. A demo created on their first day of practice after dropping out of college bought them a record deal with Alive Records. From there, their records have been hailed by the press, including a rating of number 25 on Mojo's Top 40, the "Best Debut Album of 2002" by Rolling Stone, and one of the best five records of the year by Magnet and the Village Voice, among others. The hype has them surrounded.
After releasing two well-received albums, "The Big Come Up" and "Thickfreakness," where do the members of the two-piece band The Black Keys go from there?
"I don't know," began Keys drummer Patrick Carney. "We're just taking it as it comes. Hopefully this time next year we'll be releasing our third record. We're really anxious to do that but it's hard to find time when there is so much going on with this tour. It's difficult to switch from performing mode to creative writing mode in between shows. It's all so up in the air."
One thing is for sure, though. This duo is not the White Stripes.
"It's an unfortunate matter of circumstance that the press compares us to them just because we have two members, especially since we started playing together before the White Stripes did. They are a great band and they have opened up rock 'n' roll to a bigger audience but we sound nothing like them. Dan (Auerbach, guitarist/vocalist of the Black Keys) was always into two-piece blues bands like T-Model Ford and T. Rex. It started as just the two of us and we never even considered adding a third member."
Patrick and Dan have known each other since they were eight and they have been playing together for the past seven years. As their practices evolved into songs and their playing around firmed up into a cohesive sound, The Black Keys began impressing everyone that heard their music. They continue to do so on the current large outdoor amphitheater tour with Beck and Dashboard Confessional.
Their fans come from a variety of genres including hip-hop, punk, pop, and blues aficionados. It is their own personal musical differences, in addition to their musical abilities and the confidence they exude, which may have opened up their sound to a such a wide mix of people, extending far beyond just the blues scene.
"I'm not really a fan of the blues at all," continued Carney. "I am more of a rock 'n' roll, indie rock, and hip-hop fan. Dan is the fan of old blues music. That's the great thing about playing with him, though. He comes from a different place than I do and that allows us to add our own touches to the music."
Their convergence of eclectic styles mesh together into a blues sound so earnest that you would think that the Keys roots grow deep in the South. Being raised in Akron, Ohio could not be any further from that stereotypical image, though. On top of that, one of their biggest markets is out west in the Boulder/Denver area. The band has done well here over the past few years and they attribute that success to the folks of Colorado.
"There are some great stores in Boulder and we really appreciate all of the support that the stores have given us. I remember people, like the owner of Albums on the Hill, has always been so nice to us. Plus, Boulder and Denver have more of a rootsy scene here. There's great music that can sell out here that can't even book a show in Cleveland."
The Keys hope that this is a relationship that will strengthen each time that they come around, including their upcoming show this weekend. That should not be too difficult, though. With Auerbach's howl and grit layered over Carney's left-of-center drumming, what's not to love?